Developer Increases Unit Count for Canoga Park Apartments

A property owner in Canoga Park is looking to nearly double the number of units proposed for a commercial development off Sherman Way.

Matt Towfighian of Warner Mega Properties submitted a revised application to the Los Angeles Department of City Planning that calls for a six-story building with 120 residences at 7220 North Owensmouth Avenue, Urbanize Los Angeles reported. State business records tie Warner Mega Properties to the West Hills address of 101 Family Medical Group, where Towfighian is listed as an employee.

The application calls for more units and less parking in a shorter structure. Last year, Towfighian filed an application to build 70 units in a seven-story edifice at the site with a two-level, 92-space parking garage. The new plans slash parking capacity by more than half, calling for 41 spaces. The unit mix will remain the same with one-, two- and three-bedroom residences.

The development would consist entirely of affordable apartments, making it eligible for Executive Directive 1 approval. Under ED1, 100 percent income-restricted projects can skip the public hearings process and see their applications expedited and approved in a matter of weeks.

The proposed multifamily project would join an 80-unit affordable housing complex that was recently completed two blocks south at 6940 North Owensmouth Avenue. Other moderate-income developments have risen on Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Canoga Avenue, according to Urbanize.

Warner Mega’s proposed development is just north of Warner Center, the master-planned business and entertainment district that has seen an influx of commercial developers looking to get a piece of the pie in the west San Fernando Valley.

Late last year, the Los Angeles City Council approved a proposal from Toll Brothers to demolish offices at 6464 Canoga Avenue and build an eight-story building with 276 apartments and 8,600 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. That development is the first project to take advantage of density bonus incentives in the Warner Center Specific Plan area, allowing the developer to build larger than allowed by zoning rules in exchange for some affordable apartments. — Chris Malone Méndez